TOPIC: "Is this a good movie?"

How many of you get customers that are always asking you "is this a good movie"? I think it's a real tough question to answer because it is very subjective; just because one person says they love a movie, doesn't mean another person would, and vice versa. If asked, I would usually try to make it as positive as possible without fibbing, like saying "it's received a lot of good reviews" or "other customers have said it was good movie" or "it was number 1 at the box office for X number of weeks".

I also wonder how much of an impact we have on our customers when they ask that question. I think it would be one thing if they ask before they purchase their ticket because we can sway in their decision as far as which movie they are going to see (though personally, if you are going to see a movie, you should at least know what the movies are before going). However, we get a lot of people asking us after they come in from purchasing their tickets. I doubt they would turn around and ask for a refund if we said "this is the worst movie ever" but it still seems weird to ask after they made their purchase of the movie ticket.

I have owned video stores for 14 years and hear people asking for our opinions all of the time.

Our policy: Never lie to a customer if they ask you if a movie is good. If you do, you will lose your credibility.

My experience is that you will not disuade anyone from watching any movie of any significance unless you tell that is the worst piece of crap you will ever see. Which is why I do not watch hardly any big name title as they rent well w/o me watching it. Instead I focus on the lesser knowns (b.o. less than $5 million or DTV). It is with those titles that you will have the most influence.

In my brief experience as a theatre operator: very few people have asked if a movie is any good. Since we only have 2 screens we have yet to have any dogs. technically "Happily N'ever After" would be a dog (by b.o. and imdb ratings, etc.) but our patrons have for the most part really liked it.

The movie going customer has already made the decision to come and it might be hard to get to come to another movie IMO because of the much higher cost to attend a theatre vs. renting.

I say, "Buy a ticket, then I'll tell you." Or I say, "It's the worst piece of trash I've seen in years. How many tickets?" Either of these statements communicate that asking me such a question is like asking the fox if he'd like to spend the night in the hen house. If I'm askied by someone who is not a regualr and doesn't know me, I usually quote to Rotton Tomatoes percentage or say I haven't seen it yet, but I'd like them to stop on the way out and tell me what they thouught. They often do.

Depends on the film. If it truly rots I steer them to another if they seem like it might matter to them. But it all a matter of taste. Some want art, some want blood, some want love, and some want the shoot scared out of them, and some just want get away. I would never tell a 14 year old boy that Epic Movie is a stinker. Why bother?
Michael Hurley
Impresario

I always poll my audience on their way out of a new show to see who liked it or didn't like it.If I haven't seen a film, I will say "it depends what you like..some people have liked it, some haven't" or "the majority of people have liked it" If i have seen it i will say "Personally I liked it/ didn't like it, but its up to you" Usually people know what they want to see anyway, even if you personally didn't like it they will still go.

I am more surprised of the number of people who have no idea at all about a movie. In this media saturated, internet driven age we live in , it's hard to not be aware of most of the bigger titles and what they are about.

I agree with your reelman. I'm also surprised at how many people aren't familiar with a movie or flat out never heard of it. Being a single screen theater in a small town, we try to get the biggest Hollywood that we can because they draw a much wider audience. Even if a movie a movie had been #1 at the box office for a certain length of time, people are still unfamiliar with it. I would certainly think with all the ads for movies on TV, newspapers, magazines, internet, and even trailers that more people would know what a movie was about.

One thing I was surprised about was when we showed Night at the Museum. We had a few people thinking it was either going to be a scary movie or that it was horror movie.

I will only give my opinion to people that I actually know. Otherwise, the consumer/movie patron should do their homework prior to seeing the movie. I get a kick out of the person who will watch 30+ minutes of the film, leave the auditorium and attempt to enter another auditorium to see a different film. Bad choice.

I've noticed that at least in our area, some people just go to the movies, and figure out which one they want to see when they get there. This is especially true when there is a group of people going together and decide after seeing what's playing.

"In a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it." -Martin Landau